Gm dexos 1 spec?

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What is so special about dexos 1 that gm thinks their vehicles NEED to have? My truck, 2004 silverado 1500, calls for dexos 1 spec. But I'm just wondering what would happen if I didn't run a dexos approved oil? What does an oil have to have to be approved for dexos 1?
 
Originally Posted By: 02s4audi
What is so special about dexos 1 that gm thinks their vehicles NEED to have? My truck, 2004 silverado 1500, calls for dexos 1 spec. But I'm just wondering what would happen if I didn't run a dexos approved oil? What does an oil have to have to be approved for dexos 1?


Says Dexos in your owners manual does it?
 
GM didn't start running Dexos spec oil until 2011, who told you your 04 needs it? It wont hurt it, but definitely isn't required. I think GM just came up with it to make money, the oil companies have to pay the General a boat load of money to have that little green logo on their bottles. There are supposedly better cleaning additives in Dexos oil because many GM owners were overextending OCI's and sludging up engines which GM was getting stuck replacing under warranty. So now if it happens and they find out you weren't using Dexos oil in your 2011 or newer GM vehicle, they tell you to go whizz up a tree!
 
Your truck was made when they specified 6094M, which is a bunch of oils.

Dexos supersedes that but there's not much special about it. Oil companies pay the royalty and they get a license to be able to sell to Government Motors customers.
 
Originally Posted By: jongies3
... There are supposedly better cleaning additives in Dexos oil because many GM owners were overextending OCI's and sludging up engines which GM was getting stuck replacing under warranty. ...

Interesting, I had seen the label on some oil containers, but never really knew what it meant (I did know it was a GM spec).

It is quite annoying though that there are so many different specs. API, ILSAC and ACAE and now Dexos for GM vehicles.
I thought this was the whole reason API was made, to make it easier to get the correct oil
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Originally Posted By: LotI
Dexos supersedes that but there's not much special about it. Oil companies pay the royalty and they get a license to be able to sell to Government Motors customers.

+1. It's all marketing and business.
 
Originally Posted By: LotI
Your truck was made when they specified 6094M, which is a bunch of oils.

Dexos supersedes that but there's not much special about it. Oil companies pay the royalty and they get a license to be able to sell to Government Motors customers.


wrong
 
Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Pretty much everything is dexos spec'd now anyways...


wrong
 
Originally Posted By: gallydif
Originally Posted By: LotI
Dexos supersedes that but there's not much special about it. Oil companies pay the royalty and they get a license to be able to sell to Government Motors customers.

+1. It's all marketing and business.


wrong
 
Originally Posted By: blupupher
Originally Posted By: jongies3
... There are supposedly better cleaning additives in Dexos oil because many GM owners were overextending OCI's and sludging up engines which GM was getting stuck replacing under warranty. ...

Interesting, I had seen the label on some oil containers, but never really knew what it meant (I did know it was a GM spec).

It is quite annoying though that there are so many different specs. API, ILSAC and ACAE and now Dexos for GM vehicles.
I thought this was the whole reason API was made, to make it easier to get the correct oil
21.gif
.


Dexos meets and exceeds API SN. Dexos 1 oils will have better noack among other things.
 
Originally Posted By: blupupher
I thought this was the whole reason API was made, to make it easier to get the correct oil
21.gif
.


It's the "American Petroleum Institute", and they are focused in particular areas that are lobbied largely by the US auto manufacturers...the compromises that result aren't acceptable to manufacturers in the rest of the world, and they specify accordingly.

You could use an ACEA spec over an API spec with no mechanical detriment, while you can't say the same of the reverse.
 
Now that's funny KingCake. And you are right about that I believe as well. The spider chart Wemay put up about the Dexos specification shows it is superior to ILSAC GF-5 and API SN in many aspects. Is it as stout as say MB 229.5 or BMW LL-04 or Porsche A40 or C30?? No, of course not. But it is a good middle of the road specification.
 
I just always wondered what was special about dexos. You are correct my truck doesn't spec dexos but it does spec gm 6094m which has been changed to dexos 1.
 
Originally Posted By: jongies3
GM didn't start running Dexos spec oil until 2011, who told you your 04 needs it? It wont hurt it, but definitely isn't required. ...


thumbsup2.gif
 
I don't worry about it. I never used a dexos1 approved oil in my 2013 1500 nor my 2015 2500. Granted my Cadillac is 2006 and that was before dexos1, but it doesn't get it either now. My only real beef with the dexos1 gig, is that they don't allow 10w30 as a valid multi for dexos1 certification. I like using 10w30 in most everything. And most 10w30's will put the majority of dexos1 approved 5w30's to shame on NOACK, synthetic to synthetic comparison. So if NOACK was a major concern, GM messed up on that one. And there are many 10w30's that offer as good or better add packs than dexos1 approved 5w30's. A cursory look at PQIA testing confirms that.

I am convinced it is more about GM just trying to get owners to use a quality oil and not throw in some 98 cent a qt whale snot. To that end, I concur with GM pushing the dexos1 thing. But I don't and have not bought into the idea that I need it or my warranty will be voided. In over 40 year of both personal and commercial vehicle ownership, I have yet to have one OEM (all three major American auto OEM's and 3 commercial engine OEM's) even question the oil I was using let alone test it or something. But then, I have never had a issue that could be considered oil related. Over 5 million miles of commercial vehicle use, many of those engines going beyond 1 million before being sold. Some got some warranty work.
 
Originally Posted By: TiredTrucker
My only real beef with the dexos1 gig, is that they don't allow 10w30 as a valid multi for dexos1 certification. I like using 10w30 in most everything. And most 10w30's will put the majority of dexos1 approved 5w30's to shame on NOACK, synthetic to synthetic comparison.

I am convinced it is more about GM just trying to get owners to use a quality oil and not throw in some 98 cent a qt whale snot. To that end, I concur with GM pushing the dexos1 thing. But I don't and have not bought into the idea that I need it or my warranty will be voided.


TT, I pretty much agree with everything you say. I would love to see a 10W-30 Dexos oil, and it's really all about making sure people use a half decent oil, and not the cheapest stuff they can find.

They probably went 5W-30 only to stop people in the frozen north using the wrong winter grade in their application. They decided to stop a fool at the cost of restricting those in the know. Working on the assumption that most people don't understand oil, and less people do.

Yes Dexos1 is a good spec, better than just SN. But many good non-Dexos 10W-30 oils out there too, in specs like A3/B4 or A5/B5 or dual rated HDEO oils.
 
Originally Posted By: wemay



Thanks for posting these spider web graphs Wemay, I always enjoy looking at them. They use to allow you to show API SN but they don't anymore. It was quite weak compared to the rest (not a judgement, just a description).

I do worry a bit about the spider graph accuracy. I mean BMW LL has a HTHS of 3.5 of more, while Dexos1 is usually around 3.0 HTHS,. Same with ZDDP, I have some high zinc SL BMW LL oils, but Dexos1 is restricted to lower ILSAC levels, hence Dexos doing well in AfterTreatment Compatibility . But why is the spider graph showing Dexos a little better than BMW for Wear Protection ? It should be the other way around if you ask me.
 
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